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SHOE DIY: Psychedelic Rainbow Sneakers

I used DecoArt Stylin' fabric paint to transform plain white shoes into psychedelic rainbow sneakers. Fabric paint is an excellent way to makeover any style of shoes. I found these sneakers at Michaels for under $10. Starting with a white background helps make colors bright. DecoArt Stylin' is formulated to not crack or peal, which is what I want in a fabric paint. Unlike other fabric paints, Stylin' goes on smoothly like acrylic craft paint. You might need a couple coats for some colors. Make sure to shake the bottles well for the best opacity.

SUPPLIES:DecoArt provided me with their products for this project. All photos, instructions, and opinions are my own. I use Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made using those links will result in Amazon paying me a small commission. This doesn't affect the cost of your purchase.

INSTRUCTIONS:1) Remove the laces and set them aside. I painted one shoe at a time. Using fuchsia Stylin' fabric paint and the skinny round paint brush, paint an curvy line all around one shoe, making sure to overlap onto the sneaker tongue (the part of the shoe normally covered by laces. Thicken some curves. This will help shift the line shape and make the overall design more psychedelic. Rinse the brush in the cup of water and dry off with the paper towel before switching colors.

2) With red fabric paint and the cleaned paint brush, follow the line shape above the pink curvy line. Again thicken some curved sections. These can be opposite or staggered to the previous row of thickening. Repeat with each color, following the rainbow color order (I listed the colors in order), until the sneaker fabric and toe cap is filled in with paint.

3) Repeat the painting process with the 2nd sneaker. The curvy lines of the 2nd sneaker design don't have to match the 1st sneaker, but the rainbow color order must be the same.

4) Go back over any lines that need touching up or deepening in color, with the matching paint color. Let sneakers fully dry.

5) Insert the laces back into the sneakers. I chose to use the solid white laces the sneakers came with, but you could swap them out for pre-made rainbow laces or attempt to paint them. I figured the paint might make the laces a little stiff.

For most projects, I encourage DIYers to adapt the project to fit their own color palette. For this rainbow sneaker project, I wanted to stick with the rainbow order. As for the design, if a different pattern...straight lines, polka dots, splatter, flowers, etc...suits your style better then pick that one. I was thinking of lava lamps and psychedelic swirling art while painting my sneakers. Whatever you're making, have fun with it. Happy Makery!